New session begins, but RTE admission process lags behind in Indore district

With the government focused on ensuring the success of its ambitious ‘School Chale Hum’ campaign, admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act that guarantees free and compulsory education to under-privileged children have lagged behind in Indore.

With the government focused on ensuring the success of its ambitious ‘School Chale Hum’ campaign, admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act that guarantees free and compulsory education to under-privileged children have lagged behind in Indore.

Schools in the state on Tuesday welcomed students to a new academic session with a grand ‘Pravesh Utsav,’ part of the ‘School Chale Hum’ campaign that seeks to increase enrollment numbers in schools, even as seats under the RTE lie vacant across the district.

After two rounds of admissions, as many as 19,868 seats remain vacant across the private schools of Indore district, including Indore (urban and rural), Sanwer tehsil, Depalpur tehsil and Mhow tehsil.

The ‘Pravesh Utsav’ also marks the beginning of the second phase of the campaign at more than 1,700 government schools in the state. Under this, teachers will visit anganwadi centres to prepare a list of children below the age of five years and the education department will call their parents and encourage them to admit their wards.

Though the hands-on approach of the state education department is being appreciated by many, seats reserved for the under-privileged under the RTE feeling the effects of lack of attention.

In the first two rounds of admissions, the department only managed to fill 3,972 seats (16.66%) out of the total 23,840 seats reserved under the RTE at 1,800 private schools.

Indore district education officer Kishore Shinde admitted the response to the RTE in first two rounds was lukewarm at best, but well-known schools in the district have performed better.

“Most of the prominent schools affiliated to CBSE and state board managed to fill all of their seats reserved under RTE, thanks to parents’ affinity towards renowned schools in the district,” he said.

Hopeful of greater enthusiasm from parents in the third round of admissions under the RTE, Shinde said, “At the time when we conducted first two rounds (in February and April), exam season was on and due to this only a few parents applied under this. We are hopeful that the department will get good response in the third round of RTE admission.”